300lbs and would love to start running!!

RolemodelmomT · April 2015

Its been a year since I have had my second daughter and my weight has climbed to 308lbs. This is very hard for me to say out loud, never mind to the 1000's of you on MFP. There is a local gym in my small town of 300 people, but I would really like to try running. I live out in the country so I have miles of gravel roads practice on. Right now I am almost positive that I couldn't run for a minute straight

. In addition I have a very big chest so that has always hindered me too, but now I don't care...no more excuses, the snow has melted and I would like to begin this journey. Problem is I'm not sure how to begin? Any pointers you could give me so that I don't rush in and hurt myself or set myself up for failure would be wonderful.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage · April 2015

Try the Couch to 5k program. Just Google it. Many people have started out with that program and loved it.

jkwolly · April 2015

Yes, the C25K program is great.

No rush to progress through the week if you feel that week is too hard, and can stay on it till it's more comfortable!

Good luck!

jrline · April 2015

Start out walking and gradually go to a run/walk pattern. Good Luck on your Journey

AllanMisner · April 2015

The couch to 5K program is good. Just realize that your running form will be very important to avoid injury. If you can manage it, go to a running store and have them watch your form and recommend the right shoe type. Then, ease into it with good warm ups and cool downs with each session. Enjoy!

RolemodelmomT · April 2015

Thank you for your suggestions. Looking up Couch to 5K now!!

4legsRbetterthan2 · April 2015

I think this thread is worth a read for new runners:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1217573/so-you-want-to-start-running

Start out walking and gradually go to a run/walk pattern. Good Luck on your Journey

and this is solid advice, if you are not currently walking definitely start there

Listen to your body and do the pace/distance that works for you, most people run into problems running because they try to push too hard to fast.

Numb5kull · April 2015

While I admire and share your same goal, you may want to reconsider this until you are closer to your target. Running generates an incredible amount of impact on your joints and feet, magnified to the nth degree when severely overweight. Risk of injury or damage to the muscular/skeletal structure is pretty high.

For me, my decision was easy, keep churning and wait until I am closer...its not worth doing damage and not being able to work out at all as a result due to injury. Not trying to be the buzz kill here, but running at 300 pounds is probably not a great idea.

Just my opinion, YMMV.

ninerbuff · April 2015

At your current weight, you should work slowly into to it to avoid injury. Running impact is about 3 times your weight, so that's a lot of stress on your knees and ankles as well as the rest of your body.
As mentioned, start with walking and just progressively increase your speed.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

JTick · April 2015

I started running at 240 lbs. Shoes are a must - get fitted, bit the bullet and pay the money for them.

I agree with everyone on the run/walk. I'm now around 175 and still utilize the run/walk method for my long runs. It's a great method, and it breaks down the miles. I'm not running 10 miles, I'm running 5 minutes. Much easier for my brain to handle.

jennifer_417 · April 2015

+1 for c25k!

gerrielips · April 2015

As someone who is trying to avoid/postpone knee replacement surgery (both knees), heed the walk first before running advice. Are you near a pool...walking in water is easier on your joints also (I know...putting on a bathing suit is a real downer) - the important thing is start gradually. Wishing you the best...

tekkiechikk · April 2015

Hi, I'm kind of in the same situation and have started running on my treadmill. For me, the C25K is just a dream at this point so what I do is run for 30 seconds every 3 minutes (workouts are usually 60-70 minutes). I'll up it to 35 seconds in a couple weeks.

I read something else for us newbies that says if you walk a certain route on a regular basis, just start jogging from tree A to tree B (or some other landmark point that is a challenging distance away) and then keep adding jogging distance every time you walk it, even if it's only a few extra feet.

Good shoes are crucial, too!

runner475 · April 2015

Start out walking.

I was 287 pounds - not at my heaviest. I lost most of my initial weight by walking.

Move to C25K program after you have been regularly walking.

Track miles you walk everyday.

1HappyRedhead · April 2015

I'm so glad to hear people encouraging you, but not necessarily to run. I'm quite often tempted to run myself (or my version of it anyway, lol) and have found that the stress to my joints is not worth the small difference it makes in my calorie burns versus just walking. I know there are a lot of runners out there with wonderful advice, but most of the ones I know are considerably smaller than myself and have been running for years, sometimes most of their life. That's why I don't feel it's a good choice for me to try to start running at this point. I walk, I swim, I lift, (not heavily yet) but those are things I've always done and my body seems to adjust to them much easier than running. Just my personal opinion for myself.
Best of luck in whatever you chose, stay educated & healthy!

dwntwnpengrl · April 2015

I'm with everyone else on the Couch to 5K. I used it almost 15 years ago to start running (at 250 pounds) and made my goal to run a marathon for my 30th birthday in 2000. All those things happened. Successfully. I was never the fastest in any race I ran and I was even last once but I had the Courage to Start.

I'm now 45 and I can't run. From a fitness standpoint I'm absolutely certain I can. Not sure I could do a whole 5K without stopping but I could do 5/1 (run 5 walk 1). But, physiologically, there's no way I can run. I'm at 230 at the moment. I've been as high as 267 and as low as 208 since I started running. The running has destroyed the cartilage in my knees. Now, I'm predisposed to arthritis so you may be fine. But, my ortho guys have all said that running at my weight killed my knees. I've had 1 knee scoped and they both need to be replaced. I'm now best friends with the elliptical, nustep, & pool at the Y.

If you decide to go ahead and run - enjoy it! I miss it terribly.

Your Mileage May Vary :-)

kevins13 · April 2015

As someone who starting running using the run/walk method when I was well above 300 lbs., I would encourage you to go very slowly to avoid injury. I decided last June that I would lose 100 lbs. before my birthday in June of 2015 but I did not heed that advice and tore my meniscus last fall. I went and saw the Orthopedic surgeon in October when I injured myself. He advised 6 weeks of rest and sticking to bike/elliptical for cardio along with my normal strength routine with my personal trainer. Unfortunately, although the pain subsided and he cleared me to resume running, I started having pain in my knee again and an MRI confirmed the tear. I had surgery to remove the tear April 20th. I am recovering nicely and just like I did through the fall and winter, I am focused on nutrition and have lost 76 lbs. from my peak weight last June. I just had my post op follow up and he cleared me to start back on the stationary bike this week and if all goes well, my good friend the elliptical will be back in play next week.

My advice would be to focus on nutrition and find ways to use non or low impact cardio like the elliptical and bike until you are closer to your goal. You can still walk for exercise and when you feel ready, mix in some very short run intervals. Just be sure to listen to your body and slow down or take a rest day to let yourself recover. Another piece of great advice I received early on was to buy a heart rate monitor and use that to determine intervals rather than using time to set the run/walk intervals in your workouts. Just remember, it took you a lifetime to put on the weight you are at now so don't expect it to come off overnight. Good luck.

jgnatca · April 2015

I did not run at your weight for fear of too much strain on my joints. I walked my first year. Take care and dial it back at the first sign of joint pain.

http://www.runnersworld.com/getting-started/the-worlds-simplest-learn-to-run-program

http://fatgirlrunning-fatrunner.blogspot.ca/

RolemodelmomT · April 2015

Very good points, I did wonder about the impact on my joints. Walking to start it is!! I did before, but 6 months of snow ended that, so back to square one and start again and this time I will put in the extra effort to make sure I get out there at least 3x as week. Or because it is walking not running, would there be a problem doing it every day? Seems like a stupid question, but just want to be sure.

ninerbuff · April 2015

1HappyRedhead wrote: »

I'm so glad to hear people encouraging you, but not necessarily to run. I'm quite often tempted to run myself (or my version of it anyway, lol) and have found that the stress to my joints is not worth the small difference it makes in my calorie burns versus just walking. I know there are a lot of runners out there with wonderful advice, but most of the ones I know are considerably smaller than myself and have been running for years, sometimes most of their life. That's why I don't feel it's a good choice for me to try to start running at this point. I walk, I swim, I lift, (not heavily yet) but those are things I've always done and my body seems to adjust to them much easier than running. Just my personal opinion for myself.
Best of luck in whatever you chose, stay educated & healthy!

Just a note: on average for just about any person, running a mile vs walking a mile is about a 50 calorie difference in burn. That does become more significant if one is going about 4 miles, but in 2 miles you're speaking of about 100 calories more burn.
Being at this a long time now and not suffering from any major joint issues, I can tell you siding with caution isn't a bad thing. Especially if it's just for an extra 100 calories for every 2 miles.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

jpaulie · April 2015

you can also change some day to day habits that will help too. Instead of parking at the closest parking spot at the mall or grocery store, park at the farthest. Don't take the escalator, take the stairs. these are not big calorie burns, just habits to form that will help shape a healthy lifestyle.

Brige2269 · April 2015

Numb5kull wrote: »

While I admire and share your same goal, you may want to reconsider this until you are closer to your target. Running generates an incredible amount of impact on your joints and feet, magnified to the nth degree when severely overweight. Risk of injury or damage to the muscular/skeletal structure is pretty high.

For me, my decision was easy, keep churning and wait until I am closer...its not worth doing damage and not being able to work out at all as a result due to injury. Not trying to be the buzz kill here, but running at 300 pounds is probably not a great idea.

Just my opinion, YMMV.

This is exactly what I was going to say. I started out at 370 and all I did was walk, I had the urge to run but couldn't. I walked, and walked as fast as I could. Once I got to 250 I started the couch 2 5k. Just be good to your knees and ankles. Good luck!!

DianaLovesCoffee · April 2015

In my opinion you can walk every day. Listen to your body and if you need a rest day then rest. But (again my opinion) don't rest 2 days in a row or you risk ruining your new habit. Good job to you for getting out there! You can totally do this!

JessieLMay · April 2015

I couldnt agree more. I am 286, started at 294, so pretty close to 300lbs. I do walk/run, and can run for maybe about 20 seconds at a time if I'm lucky, except those 20 seconds are pure hell. I pushed myself to do a little more running yesterday and now I have to take þenday off. Running, no matter how slow I do it or my form, or shoes, it's still hard on my body.

mikeyrs · April 2015

DO NOT RUN.... yet. You need to start with low impact exercise in the beginning. Otherwise you could damage your knees and ankles. Weekly swimming (two sessions per week) and daily cycling blended with 5000 steps of walking each day is the smartest way for you to begin your journey. Increase your step count 10% each day day until you reach 10,000 steps daily. Each day ride a bike on local, low-stress errands where you're not pressed for time. As you begin to experience muscle soreness and tightness, consider doing some stretching, especially Yoga poses, which will improve your posture and make you more flexible and balanced. Beyond that, you can increase your cycling and swimming until you reach a point where you are ready to begin the C25k program with its alternating walking/running scheme. Good luck to you - I've been there and it's a great journey!

Afura · April 2015

I used diet and walking to get my weight under 300 (previous

) before I started using Zombies 5k (think C25k with zombies. And missions.), and there at the beginning I definitely did the first few days a few times in a row, if anything it adds something to the boring old walk. But every dr I've ever had has said walk, just walk.

RolemodelmomT · April 2015

Unfortunately swimming is not an option, no pool around here

, but I can definitely incorporate the biking. Thanks again, you have all been very helpful and although its sad; the running will have to wait!

AllanMisner · April 2015

RolemodelmomT wrote: »

Very good points, I did wonder about the impact on my joints. Walking to start it is!! I did before, but 6 months of snow ended that, so back to square one and start again and this time I will put in the extra effort to make sure I get out there at least 3x as week. Or because it is walking not running, would there be a problem doing it every day? Seems like a stupid question, but just want to be sure.

There shouldn’t be a reason you can’t walk every day (except maybe weather), but gauge how well you’re recovering from each session and take a day off if you don’t feel fully recovered. I still recommend getting good shoes (walking shoes in this case).

37lbs_to_go · April 2015

You've gotten some great advice on running. So I'll address the chest issue.

I researched quite a few sports bras before setting on the Enell. Their design uses both compression and encapsulation for support. It's excellent for high impact sports like running. Its probably overkill if you're only planning on low impact cardio. The fit is true to size. So measure accurately.

Downsides: It has a lot of snaps. Costs almost $70. Has a strong profile and is highly visible under thinner workout shirts. Fine under T-shirts. For me the level support far outweighs these.

Best of luck on your journey to a healthy new you!

LKArgh · April 2015

I would start by walking. Walk at a comfortable pace for e.g. 30 minutes. You can walk everyday, as long as the pace is really comfortable, even if it means a toddler would go faster. Once you are back into this routine, then try a program like c25k.

SueInAz · April 2015

Definitely walking for now. At 300 pounds, the calorie burns will still be significant. Try to walk at a fast enough pace that you get slightly out of breath. You can even do that in intervals (slower walk for 3 minutes, as fast as you can walk for one minute). You'll get some great exercise and help get yourself ready for when you can run.

300lbs and would love to start running!!

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